Firearms-cleaning tool

ABSTRACT

A rotatable scraping tool having a plurality of edge portions is provided for removing built-up carbon deposits from the interior of a firearm.

104.11,104:13;145/1l6,l18,119,12l

United States Patent [1113,602,935

[72] Inventors Arthur G. McDonnell [56] References Cited 157 Brook St., Garden City, N.Y. 11530; UNITED STATES PATENTS 551 :32? Jamespm 878,145 2/1908 Middleton 04.09 1 pp No. 819 2,543,206 7/1948 Smith 5/116 [22] Filed Apr. 69 Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath [45] P t d Se t. 7, 1 Assistant ExaminerGregory A. Walters Att0rney-Le0nard H. King 541 FIREARMS-CLEANING TOOL 9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs. 7

[52] 11.8. C1 15/l04.09 [51 Int. Cl 1308b 9/02 ABSTRACT: A rotatable scraping tool having a plurality of [50] Field of Search 15/ 104.09, edge portions is provided for removing built-up carbon deposits from the interior of a firearm.

' PATENIEU SEP 719m SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. AETJWB G M6 DON/V52 BY ROGZE .L. MUA/Z ATTORNEY ATENTED SEP '1 l9?! SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTCR. ARTHUR G- MCDO/VNIZL ROGER L. MU/VZ SMMA C123 Arrozenz'y FIREARMS-CLEANING TOOL This invention relates generally to fire arms and more particularly to an improved cleaning device therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With high-speed firearms, particularly those intended for use in environments such as a combat zone, it is absolutely essential that the interior of the firearm be kept clean. With conventional weapons this is a problem that can be resolved by periodic cleaning done, more or less, at the convenience of the combat soldier. However, with the more modern weapons, such as the M-1 6 for example, the rate of firepower capability is in the order of 600/700 rounds per minute and the heat generated is so great that carbon deposits build up in the interior of the weapon, particularly in the chamber, over relatively short periods of time. Accordingly, cleaning must be done at more frequent and shorter intervals. Obviously, an infantryman in combat cannot thoroughly clean his weapon at his convenience, at least not with the equipment heretofore available. As a result of the rapid carbon buildup there have been an ever increasing number of incidences of the M-l6 jamming under combat conditions and becoming inoperative.

Carbon deposits in the chamber of the M-16 rifle is such a serious problem that Change No. 1 of the Department of the Army Field Manual No. FM23-9 issued in Feb. 1968 suggests the replacement of the entire weapon if the chamber becomes dirty or badly pitted.

It is readily apparent then that some means must be found to clean the weapon other than by the use of oil and swabs or metallic filament brushes. In the past when thick layers of carbon deposits formed about the parts of the firing mechanism, as a result of the high-velocity, high-temperature gasses, the weapon could not provide sufficient force to move the bolt back so as to pick up a second round after one has been fired. This resulted in a jam and it was then necessary to pull the bolt back manually for the firing of succeeding rounds. However, continued manual operation of the weapon is of course contrary to its primary function of rapid fire. As soon as it was practical the infantryman had to use a cleaning solvent and a bore brush to remove the carbon.

In spite of the fact that weapon failure is a direct result of carbon buildup, the infantryman could not conveniently clean the weapon frequently enough and with sufficient care. This is entirely understandable when the circumstances of the usage of the weapon are considered. In addition, the cleaning tools such as the container of solvent and the wire brush cleaner were awkward to carry around, frequently were lost and at other times were damaged or wasted. As regards the wire brush cleaner in particular, it has been found that the bristles bend out of shape and frequently break off inside the rifle thereby impeding movement of the mechanisms. Accordingly, the net result was that the weapons were not cleaned sufficiently and within relatively short intervals.

The present invention is directed to correcting the shortcomings by providing an effective cleaning tool that does not require the use of a solvent. Instead, a small, compact device includes cutting edges which will instead ream the carbon deposits by scraping action. The tool is very small and lightweight, making it easy to carry and convenient to use. The tool comprising the present invention can be molded very inexpensively and can be provided with a thread at one end for an attachment to a cleaning rod. After the basic components which in the M-l6 comprise the barrel and receiver, bolt arm assembly, stock and trigger housing, are snapped apart in a conventional manner,'the tool is inserted into the chamber and rotated. Resilient fingers having specially shaped ears and cutting edges scrape the interior wall and remove the carbon and dirt that have become almost welded to the chamber walls. The carbon is built up as a result of the heat and pressure generated during normal firing. This periodic and frequent removal of contaminants inhibits pitting of the chambers and minimizes the likelihood of the deterioration of the chamber.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved tool for cleaning the interior of rapid fire weapons.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tool for cleaning the interior of a firearm chamber by means of a scraping action.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tool as described above wherein there is provided at least one axially elongated finger having radially oriented scraping edges.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tool as described above wherein the fingers and the scraping edges thereof are offset with respect to each other in the direction of their rotation.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide a cleaning tool as described above wherein at least two of said fingers are provided apart.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved cleaning tool as described above wherein more than two of said fingers are provided, said fingers being equally spaced.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will, in part, be pointed out with particularity and will, in part, become obvious from the following more detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which forms an integral part thereof.

In the drawing like reference characters designate like parts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view partially broken away illustrating a weapon for which the present invention is particularly adapted;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the present invention positioned in the interior of certain components of the weapon shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tool comprising the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the tool comprising the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of the tool comprising the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an end view of an alternative embodiment of the tool comprising the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of another alternative em bodiment of the tool comprising the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the prior art cleaning tool that has been recommended by the Department of the Army.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the basic components of the weapon, the M-l6 rifle, will now be briefly described in order to establish the environment of the present invention.

The weapon 10 includes a barrel 12 having a chamber 14 and a bore 15 for receiving the projectile 16. The chamber 14 also includes an external thread at the rearward end thereof for receiving a cylinder 18 having a series of axially directed and angularly spaced-apart flutes or spline like recesses 19 (FIG. 3). The bolt is provided, in a well-known manner, with a plurality of ribs arranged to mate with the recessing. In combination with a reduced internal diameter 22 the recesses 19 define a plurality of teeth 21 having radially and angularly extending surfaces 24 and 26, respectively. The reduced diameter 22 terminates at a shoulder 28 which defines the end of the internal threads and which also represents the end transverse plan of the chamber 14 in the assembled condition.

The chamber 14 and the cylinder 18 are the components of the rifle 10 with which the present invention is primarily concerned. These two basic components are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 together with the cleaning tool 30 therefor. As is best shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning tool 30 is inserted into the cylinder 18 and the chamber 14 from a rearward direction when the weapon has been disassembled in an appropriate manner.

In its broadest aspect, the rifle-cleaning tool comprising the present invention includes a body portion having a plurality of cutting edges integral therewith. One of said cutting edges is sized and located extending coaxially with said body portion so as to engage the bore in the chamber of the rifle. Another of said cutting edges is axially oriented and radially spaced from said body. Still another of said cutting edges is located so as to engage a transverse portion in the rifle chamber. Additional cutting edges may be added to said body portion to engage radially and angularly extending internal surfaces of the rifle that are to be cleaned. Rotation of the cutting tool about its longitudinal axis causes a scraping action of said cutting edges against the interior surfaces of the rifle.

The cleaning tool 30 representing one embodiment of this invention is shown in FIGS. 4, and 6. The tool 30 comprises a flat body portion 32 which is conveniently molded of a suitable plastic such as Delrin, polycarbonates and nylon. The thickness of the body portion 32 is dimensioned to be slightly less than the width of the splinelike recesses 19 formed in the cylinder 18, The body portion 32 of the cutting tool 30 is further provided with two opposed cutting edges 34 that terminate in grooves 36 that are shaped to conform to the teeth 21 defined by the recesses 19. The grooves 36 include radially and angularly extending walls 38 and 40, respectively, and an axially extending wall 42.

As shown in FIG. 2 the walls 38 and 40 engage surfaces 24 and 26, respectively, of the teeth 21 and the edge 42 engages the radially inward end of the teeth 21. The reduced internal diameter 22 in the cylinder 18 is engaged by axially extending cutting edges 44 formed forwardly of the radial wall 38. The edges 44 of the cutting tool 30 terminate proximate the forward end thereof in relatively sharp edges or corners 46 that are dimensioned and located so as to engage the shoulder 28 formed at the juncture of the mating threads and the internal diameter 22.

The body portion 32 of the cutting tool terminates at its forward end in a pair of fingers 48 that are defined by an elongated axially oriented central slot 50 formed in the body portion 32. FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the fact that the fingers 48 are angled away from each other so that when the tool 30 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, cutting edges 52 formed on each of the fingers 48 will engage bore formed in the chamber 14 and will tend to restore fingers to an in-line position. In other words, the rotation of the cutting tool tends to restore the fingers to the inline position, the restoring force being opposed by the offset relationship of the fingers that is provided during the molding of the cleaning tool. The fingers 48 normally tend to spread diametrically apart and are clamped toward each other when inserted in the bore to establish the proper alignment and distance from the outer walls of the chamber.

The rearward end of the body portion 32 is provided with an enlarged boss 54 in which is comolded a threaded stud 56. An elongated rodlike handle 58 having an internal thread adapted to mate with the stud is also provided to facilitate cleaning. Since the handle can be disassembled the tool is compact and easy to carry.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment 60 of the tool comprising the present invention in that four angularly spaced cutting fingers 62 are provided. Although not shown in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiment 60 includes all of the cutting edges described in connection with the first embodiment and is used in the same manner. As in the first embodiment, the cutting tool 60 is inserted through the recesses 19 formed in the cylinder 18, the additional fingers 62 provided for greater scraping contact, and since each of the four fingers 62 includes all of the cutting surfaces shown in FIG. 4, it will be evident that all of the interior of the cylinder and chamber can be effectively cleaned. The maximum number of fingers 62 permissible is, of course, determined by the maximum number of recesses 19 formed in the cylinder 18. In the M-l6 rifle there are eight such equally spaced recesses 19. Thus, it is within the scope of this invention to provide as many angularly spaced fingers as there are recesses.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating still another embodiment of the tool comprising the present invention. Tool 70 has a substantially cylindrical, rodlike body portion 72 on which a flat portion 74 is formed at the forward end thereof. A single tooth or finger 76 extends radially from the body portion 72 and is provided with cutting edges 78 and 80. Although not illustrated, provision may be made for releasably coupling an extension to the body portion 72 to facilitate manipulation thereof.

After the tool 70 is inserted through the cylinder 18 and into the bore 15 of the chamber 14, it is rotated in the usual manner. The flatted portion of the tool body 72 closely fits the chamber diameter and cleans that interior surface upon rotation. Similarly, edges 78 and 80 engage shoulder 28 and 22, respectively, and remove carbon deposits therefrom when tool 70 is rotated. It should be particularly noted that the width of the single tooth 76 is such that it can easily pass through any one of the axially directed recesses 19 formed in the cylinder 18 as in the previous embodiments.

In FIG. 9 there is shown the heretofore recommended prior art cleaning tool 90. The prior art includes a wire stem 92 on which is helically wound a first wire brush 94 having a diameter sized to mate with the bore 15 of the chamber. Rearward of the brush 94 is a second wire brush 96 having a large diame ter intended to clean diameter 22 and recesses 19. The problems with the prior art where that the brushes 94 and 96 could not be relied on to clean all surfaces and crevices and also that the wire bristles either bent or broke off and remained in the chamber unnoticed until the rifle jammed.

From the foregoing it will be evident that an improved cleaning tool has been provided, particularly for the M-l6 rifle. It is not necessary to use a cleaning solvent and brush which in the past was ineffective because an excess of the solvent was frequently used and because the bristles frequently wore down or broke off inside of the rifle chamber. Instead there is provided a scraping tool having a plurality of cutting edges sized and spaced to fit the interior of the rifle chamber where carbon deposits are likely to accumulate. When the rifle is disassembled in the usual manner, the cleaning tool comprising this invention is inserted into the chamber and then is rotated so that the various cutting edges scrape the caked-on carbon deposits from the interior walls. Because the cleaning tool is of a rigid nature the cutting edges can be located so as to engage hidden comers, crevices and recesses that were heretofore inexcessible to either a bristle-type cleaning tool or a swab. The positive engagement and the resilient nature of the cleaning tool assures that the interior cleaning surface will be completely cleaned of carbon as opposed to the prior method where such complete cleaning could not be assured.

There has been disclosed heretofore the best embodiment of the invention presently contemplated. It is to be un derstood, however, that various changes or modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cleaning tool for the interior of a rifle, said cleaning tool comprising a body portion, a member extending coaxially from said body portion and having at least one cutting edge thereof, there being further included at least one other cutting edge extending from said body portion and substantially parallel thereto whereby upon rotation of said cleaning tool said cutting edges remove carbon deposits from the interior of the rifle, wherein said body portion is substantially flat and said member extending coaxially therefrom includes a longitudinal slot defining two fingers, each of said fingers including a longitudinal cutting edge.

2. The cutting tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body portion includes a first pair of said radially spaced, axially extending cutting edges, each one of which is on opposite sides of said body portion.

3. A cleaning tool in accordance with claim 2 wherein said body portion includes a second pair of cutting edges extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said cleaning tool, said second pair of cutting edges defining cutting edges.

4. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 3 wherein said longitudinal edges of said cleaning tool include inwardly directed recesses intermediate said first and second pairs of cutting edges, said recesses being sized and shaped to conform to a portion of the interior of the rifle, said recesses including cutting edges.

5. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fingers are offset from each other.

6. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body portion and said coaxially extending member are molded plastic.

7. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim I wherein said body portion is a rod and said member extending coaxially therefrom is a rod having a flat portion formed thereon, there being further included a radial tooth, said radially spaced cutting edge being positioned on the outer end of said radial tooth.

8. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 7 wherein the forward end of said tooth includes an additional cutting edge.

9. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 7 wherein said body portion, said coaxially extending member and said tooth are molded plastic. 

1. A cleaning tool for the interior of a rifle, said cleaning tool comprising a body portion, a member extending coaxially from said body portion and having at least one cutting edge thereof, there being further included at least one other cutting edge extending from said body portion and substantially parallel thereto whereby upon rotation of said cleaning tool said cutting edges remove carbon deposits from the interior of the rifle, wherein said body portion is substantially flat and said member extending coaxially therefrom includes a longitudinal slot defining two fingers, each of said fingers including a longitudinal cutting edge.
 2. The cutting tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body portion includes a first pair of said radially spaced, axially extending cutting edges, each one of which is on opposite sides of said body portion.
 3. A cleaning tool in accordance with claim 2 wherein said body portion includes a second pair of cutting edges extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said cleaning tool, said second pair of cutting edges defining cutting edges.
 4. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 3 wherein said longitudinal edges of said cleaning tool include inwardly directed recesses intermediate said first and second pairs of cutting edges, said recesses being sized and shaped to conform to a portion of the interior of the rifle, said recesses including cutting edges.
 5. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fingers are offset from each other.
 6. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body portion and said coaxially extending member are molded plastic.
 7. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body portion is a rod and said member extending coaxially therefrom is a rod having a flat portion formed thereon, there being further included a radial tooth, said radially spaced cutting edge being positioned on the outer end of said radial tooth.
 8. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 7 wherein the forward end of said tooth includes an additional cutting edge.
 9. The cleaning tool in accordance with claim 7 wherein said body portion, said coaxially extending member and said tooth are molded plastic. 